Perfect Go-To Royal Icing Recipe
Perfect Go-To Royal Icing Recipe
Today I am sharing with you my Perfect Go-To Royal Icing Recipe. I’ve incorporated many of the ingredients that will make it stable to hold up to textured designs, smooth to fill a cookie evenly and cleanly, and strong enough to hold it’s color without bleeding on your work.
I’ve been using this royal icing recipe for years and I’m sure you will find it to be an all-star! I used the royal icing pictured above to decorate the cookies shown below. This is my royal icing recipe that I use for all of my sugar cookie designs. This recipe can be thinned out by adding a bit of water to create a flood consistency or let thicken to create texture and dimension to your sugar cookie creations! Click here to see the many cookies that I’ve created with this recipe!
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs powdered sugar
- 5 tbsp meringue powder
- 3 tsp flavored extract (oil-free)
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp corn syrup
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tbs white food coloring
- 1 tsp salt

See this Recipe being used. Join me LIVE each Friday at 1 PM Central to decorate sugar cookies using this very recipe!
Directions:
Begin by measuring the meringue powder and adding it in with the powdered sugar.
Add the sugar and meringue powder to the bowl of your mixer and let it mix together. I do not sift the sugar, I just add it from the bag.
Add in the cream of tartar and salt.

Powdered Sugar, Cream of Tartar, and Salt
Let it mix in the mixer on stir for a couple of seconds just to mix together well.
Add the oil-free extracts, and salt directly into the measuring cup, then add warm water up to 1/2 cup

Oil-Free Extracts and Water
Add the water directly to the bowl of the mixer and let it stir on the lowest setting possible
The icing may look really thick, if it is too thick, I add only 1/8 more water and let it mix in well.
At this point, add in the corn syrup and white food coloring directly to the mixing bowl and let it mix.
It will look thick and creamy and smooth.

Royal Icing
And you’re done!
Did you know that we have a YouTube page specifically for our cookie decorating videos? Check out some of our recent videos here… Click here to be directed to my Video Archives page for more…

I look forward to trying this recipe. When I click on the link that says “Click here to see the many cookies that I’ve created with this recipe!” it just brings me to a contact page and not a gallery with cookie’s you’ve created.
Hi 🙂 my Wilton meringue powder already has cream of tater in it and your Royal icing recipe says to use meringue powder and to add cream of tater do I put more in or not add any more since it already has it ?thank you
How many cookies will this recipe ice?
This recipe should ice approximately 36 to 48 3.5 inch cookies.
Does this recipe hold up well in the freezer? I’d like to decorate my cookies then freeze them. Thanks
Yes it does. I freeze my royal icing all the time!
So I’m confused. Where is the icing recipe!?
It’s back! Things were crazy for a while while the site was be ing upgraded. So sorry for the confusion!
I can’t see your royal icing recipe
Where did it go?
It’s back! So sorry for the confusion!
How does this differ in taste/texture from a more simple water/sugar/meringue recipe? Would love to know before I try it out!
You can actually coordinate the taste to match the flavor of the sugar cookie by using different flavored extracts. I use this recipe for all of my sugar cookies. I also teach my students using this recipe! You won’t be disappointed using this recipe! 🙂